MA5 Series
'MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System' Name: MA37 ICWS Model: Misriah Armory MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System Type: firearm Scale: character Skill: firearms Ammo: 32 round magazine Fire Rate: Fully automatic (600 RPM) Caliber: 7.62x51mm Range: 1-100/200/400m Damage: 4D Description: The MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System (MA37 ICWS or MA37 Assault rifle), formally known as the Individual Combat Weapon System, Caliber 7.62 mm MA37 and the MA5 by the UNSC Marines and Navy, is a standard issue service rifle of the UNSC. The MA37 was first introduced in 2437 and has remained the primary service rifle of all branches of the UNSC ever since. It is an air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, fully-automatic bullpup rifle that fires from 32-round magazines of 7.62x51mm ammunition. It possesses a built-in ammunition indicator and magnetic compass for orientation, similar to that of all other MA5 series rifles. It has a high rate of fire, but due to its inaccuracy, it is highly ineffective at long ranges and inflicts low damage against energy shields. Source: *Halo Wiki: MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System *thedemonapostle 'MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System' Name: MA5B ICWS Model: Misriah Armory MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System Type: firearm Scale: character Skill: firearms Ammo: 60 round magazine Fire Rate: Fully automatic (900 RPM) Caliber: 7.62x51mm Range: 1-100/200/400m Damage: 4D Description “Hey, soldier, is that an assault rifle in your hands or are you just happy to see me?” — Janissary James The MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System (MA5B ICWS or MA5B Assault rifle) is a standard-issue service rifle of the UNSC Marines. The MA5B Assault rifle is an air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed weapon designed for automatic fire. The MA5 series rifle is the workhorse of the UNSC Marine Corps and has been in service for more than fifty years. The MA5B has an attached electronics suite that provides information on rounds remaining in magazine, compass heading, as well as several other "housekeeping" functions. The rifle performs well in a variety of environments especially given the perceived delicacy of the attached electronics suite. The MA5 rifle can be outfitted with a number of modifications including sound suppressors, a grenade launcher or a standard issue flashlight and more “exotic” ammunition types like shredder rounds; however, these modifications are only available by Mission Conditional Requisition (MCR). The MA5B is easily one of the most versatile weapons in the UNSC’s arsenal. Due to this versatility, the MA5B is complimented by many of the UNSC's other weapons as either the primary means to a kill or in a secondary role as the fallback weapon. The MA5B rifle is a bullpup design and made of titanium alloy and polymer - the rifle is a gas-operated weapon with a rotating-bolt and therefore must be cocked before the first shot can be fired. The charging handle used to chamber the round is situated on the left side of the rifle and moves during operation. Once the first round is fired, the gases from that round and those to follow impinge upon a gas piston, which pushes back the bolt carrier, rotating the bolt inside and continuing to chamber rounds until the magazine is empty. Once the magazine is empty, the charging handle must both be pulled back and locked or, must be fully cycled after a fresh magazine is inserted to load the next round. The magazine itself is located at the butt of the rifle and the release button is located above the housing with an arrow pointing down toward the housing. The electronics suite is integrated along the top rail guard of the weapon. The MA5B is designed for the toughest of situations, able to be subjected to elements that would otherwise jam and render a weapon inoperable. It has concealed iron sights, although not seen in gameplay and is used by Marines and other personnel with improper equipment to uploading a targeting reticule to the user's HUD or Neural Interface. Ammunition The MA5B Assault rifle uses M118 7.62x51mm Armor Piercing, Full Metal Jacket rounds. These rounds are designed to pierce body armor, so the rounds are reasonably large, and are surrounded by a molded jacket of either steel or titanium, which enhances its armor-piercing capabilities. The round might also have a carbide or similar hardened tip, and might also be coated in copper or another metal over the steel, titanium, etc. shell. However, despite these advanced rounds, the damage done by a single round is very limited, made even worse by the rifle's low accuracy at long ranges. Although performing poorly against Covenant shields, the AP-FMJ round can easily penetrate lightly armored Unggoy and Jackals and kill unshielded Sangheili very quickly. The AP-FMJ round is especially effective against all manners of Flood as they are not well armored. This is somewhat strange, since the AP-FMJ round is traditionally less effective against flesh and unarmored targets due to its tendency to over penetrate tissue. Accuracy The most pressing negative aspect of the MA5B is its inconsistent accuracy. Firing the weapon in short bursts will allow much higher accuracy, as opposed to holding down the trigger. Most of the bullets will stay within the reticile. One round fired may produce a perfect bull's-eye, but the next may fly out of the targeting reticile and slam into the dirt a dozen meters from the same target. This has lead to the belief that the rifle is very incapable of hitting targets greater than close-range; this is untrue. If attacking targets at surprisingly long-ranges, one can effectively wound or kill that target by firing in single shots or bursts. Unfortunately, this lack of consistent accuracy has tarnished the image of the rifle, and the problem has kept the MA5B out of the hands of those who prefer less spontaneous weapons. Advantages The MA5B in both offensive and suppressive situations remains the Marine Corps most reliable weapon. When fired in short bursts, or even single shots, there is a significant increase in accuracy, and the rifle's armor penetrating ability makes it key for handling even the toughest of infantry, having the ability to kill a Sangheili in approximately 45 rounds in close quarters. The rifle is effective at killing light armored infantry at close-to-medium range, and the high rate of fire combined with the high ammunition capacity allows its user to spray the whole area with suppressing fire. The MA5B also gives the user an ammo count on its digital readout, as well a compass pointing toward the arbitrary magnetic "north" position. In the hands of someone who can control their trigger finger, the MA5B becomes a deadly weapon in CQB situations. Disadvantages The MA5B is not without disadvantages, the main problem being its horrible accuracy when fired at a range of more than forty meters. At that range, enemy infantry may be hit by a few bullets, or not be hit by any bullets at all. The MA5B Assault rifle performs poorly against energy shields unless firing on full automatic at close range without giving a shielded infantry time to recover. It also suffers from issues with jamming, due in part to its large magazine size. In comparison to modern Assault rifles it can be more related to an oversized sub-machine gun, as it is underpowered and lacks the ability to select a fire mode. Source: *Halo Wiki: MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System *thedemonapostle 'MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System' Name: MA5C ICWS Model: Misriah Armory MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System Type: firearm Scale: character Skill: firearms Ammo: 32 round magazine Fire Rate: Fully automatic (650 RPM) Caliber: 7.62x51mm Range: 1-100/200/400m Damage: 4D Description “The MA5C is the workhorse for us ground-pounders. Just holding it makes you feel like God’s own anti-son-of-a-bitch-machine.” — Anonymous E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman The MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System1 (MA5C ICWS), more commonly known as the MA5C Assault rifle, is a standard United Nations Space Command firearm and is the successor of the MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System. The MA5C Assault rifle is an air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine fed weapon designed for automatic fire. The MA5C is the third rifle in the MA5 Series and has been in service for more than 50 years. The MA5C has an attached electronics suite that provides information on rounds remaining in the magazine, compass heading, as well as several other "housekeeping" functions. The rifle performs well in a variety of environments especially given the perceived delicacy of the attached electronics suite. The MA5C Rifle can be outfitted with a number of modifications including sound suppressors, a grenade launcher or a standard issue flashlight. More “exotic” ammunition types, like Shredder Rounds, are available for use, however these modifications are available only by Mission Conditional Requisition (MCR). The MA5C Assault rifle is easily one of the most versatile weapons in the UNSC’s arsenal. Due to this versatility, the MA5C is complimented by many of the UNSC’s other weapons as either the primary means to a kill or in a secondary role as the fallback weapon. The MA5C Rifle has received technical, as well as physical improvements over the MA5B Assault rifle that include: a heavier barrel with a 1 in 7 twist; a redesigned cowling to house the electronics suite that reduces weight and increases portability of weapon; and a redesigned handguard which is sturdier and provides a more positive grip. The magazine capacity has been reduced to 32 rounds from the original 60 in the MA5B, and the rifle’s range and accuracy has been substantially improved over its predecessor, making it a more formidable Assault rifle. The MA5C is made of Titanium Alloy and Polymer. Although not seen during gameplay, the MA5C has concealed iron sights used by Marines and other personnel who do not have a Heads-up display or Neural Interface. Ammunition The MA5C Assault rifle and the MA5B Assault rifle uses M118 7.62x51mm Armor Piercing, Full Metal Jacket Rounds. These rounds are designed to pierce body armor so the rounds are reasonably large, and are surrounded by a molded jacket of either steel or titanium, which enhances its armor-piercing capabilities. The round might also have a carbide or similar hardened tip, and might also be coated in copper or another metal over the steel, titanium, etc. shell. Actual energy from this round is 2472 ft·lb force. This is quite high for a rifle cartridge, and the round has been historically noted for its power and range. "7.62mm" is the diameter of the bullet itself, which equates to 0.3 inches, or .30 caliber. The "51mm" comes from the length of the case (not the entire cartridge, just the case, also known as "shell"). Often being associated with a considerable amount of recoil, the MA5C appears to be able to absorb it so the weapon remains steady even during cyclic fire. Armor-piercing rounds have the obvious advantage of being able to deal with protected targets, but instead of causing larger wound channels by tumbling like lower-caliber ball or non-jacketed munitions, AP rounds have a tendency to over-penetrate the body, causing less overall trauma. Advantages The MA5C in both offensive and suppressive situations remains the Marine Corps' most reliable weapon. When fired in short bursts the MA5C Rifle can be effective at hitting targets at longer ranges, and the rifle's armor penetrating ability makes it key for handling even the toughest of infantry. The MA5C Rifle is effective at killing armored infantry at short-to-medium range and its high rate of fire allows its user to spray an area with suppressing fire in defensive situations. At close range, the MA5C is arguably deadlier than the M7/Caseless Submachine Gun, as the firepower is approximately equal. The MA5C also provides the user with an ammo count on its digital readout, as well a compass pointing toward the arbitrary magnetic "north" position. In the hands of someone with a practised trigger finger, the MA5C becomes a deadly weapon in close-quarter situations. Disadvantages The MA5C's main disadvantage is that it is grossly inaccurate when fired in full-automatic. Even though substantially better than the MA5B, it is too inaccurate for use at longer ranges, which makes the user an easy target for long range weapons - at long range a high ratio of misses to hits is likely, especially if the target is moving. The magazine can run out very quickly in fully automatic fire and has relatively low power per round compared to many other weapons; an engagement with numerous and/or particularly resilient enemies will likely require the user to reload a few times before they die. It should be used as a secondary weapon for shorter ranges, paired with a long range weapon like the Battle Rifle. Source: *Halo Wiki: MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System *thedemonapostle 'MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System' Name: MA5D ICWS Model: Misriah Armory MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System Type: firearm Scale: character Skill: firearms Ammo: 32 or 36 round magazines Fire Rate: Fully automatic (610 RPM) Caliber: 7.62x51mm Range: 1-100/200/400m Damage: 4D Description: The MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System is the United Nations Space Command standard-issue assault rifle after the Human-Covenant war. The MA5D ICWS is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, automatic assault rifle designed to execute close-quarters combat with lethal efficiency, regardless of hostile counter-op, environmental conditions, or duration of use in the field. The MA5D fires the 7.62 NATO round. Like previous incarnations, the MA5D also contains a built-in ammo counter and compass. Source: *Halo Wiki: MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System *thedemonapostle 'MA5K Carbine' Name: MA5K Carbine Model: Misriah Armory MA5K Carbine Type: firearm Scale: character Skill: firearms Ammo: 30 round magazine Fire Rate: Fully automatic Caliber: 7.62x51mm Range: 1-75/150/300m Damage: 4D Description: The MA5K Carbine is a United Nations Space Command MA5 Series firearm used by Special Operations Forces. It is a carbine version of the standard MA5 Individual Combat Weapon System and is lighter and easier to carry. MA5Ks were not as often used for front line duty because of their reduced stopping power, but they were used by the SPARTAN-IIIs from 2531 to 2552, especially during the Battle of Onyx. Source: *Halo Wiki: MA5K Carbine *thedemonapostle